Maple Leafs Urged To Make Bold Trade To Fix Left-Wing Issues, Per Elliotte Friedman
The Maple Leafs have some scoring issues no doubt, and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes a shift for John Tavares could be the solution.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of scoring issues when it comes to their bottom six, and a lot needs to change if Toronto wants to push for a long playoff run.
However, they also have issues scoring on the left side of the ice, as only Matthew Knies has really been the only winger who has done anything of note.
According to Elliotte Friedman however, Toronto could find a different way to get some scoring.
John Tavares' Switch From Center
Per his latest '32 Thoughts' article, Friedman believes the Maple Leafs could end up moving John Tavares to the wing and bring in a center in order to add some life to the left:
It's an intriguing proposition that would be able to help Toronto offensively, the only question is who replaces Tavares.
Brad Treliving would need to go out and grab a center in order to help Tavares out, and there are a few avenues he could go down to grab that second-line option.
Who Could Brad Treliving Acquire?
There's a certain type of player that would need to be added in order to bring out the best in Tavares as well as William Nylander and they won't be the cheapest option.
Potential names who would come in are Vincent Trocheck, Brock Nelson, and Nazem Kadri however they will all come with their own costs.
Trocheck may be the easiest option with New York potentially selling off a lot of pieces, and Chris Drury's desperation may play into Treliving's hands.
He's a steady offensive presence with solid defensive metrics to warrant a second-line start.
Nelson and Kadri would be more expensive options and either the Islanders or Flames aren't going to sell unless they get an undeniable deal, or if they end up tanking the season.
Both men make a ton of money and will cost a lot of assets so it's tough to see Toronto give up so much.
Whoever Brad Treliving decides to go out and get, he should try to push all in and make the best move possible to spark the offense even more.
Worse comes to worst, Toronto now has three elite centers to work with as Tavares slides back into the second, or potentially the third line.
